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In every iteration ofTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the titular heroes are raised and taught by Splinter, a fellow mutant and master of martial arts. He’s trained the Turtles to carry on his battle against the Foot Clan, led by his nemesis Shredder, but the details of the backstory differ from series to series.
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Splinter’s story goes back to a feud between warring families in feudal Japan, and always finds its way to the sewers under New York City, where a chance encounter with the Mutagen changes everything. Which is your favorite version of the story?
Who Are Hamato Yoshi And Oroku Saki?
Splinter’s story always starts withHamato Yoshi, a ninja keeping the ancient traditions alive in modern Japan. In the original comics and TV series, Yoshi was a member of the Foot Clan, while in later series such as the IDW Comics timeline, he was the patriarch of Clan Hamato, the rivals of the Foot.
Hamato Yoshi came into conflict with a rival ninja,Oroku Saki. In some timelines, Saki was jealous of Yoshi’s superior skills as a ninja and sought to dishonor him. In others, Yoshi and Saki (or, in the original comics, Saki’s brother Nagi) competed for the affection of a woman named Tang Shen.
In every tale, Oroku Saki arranged for Hamato Yoshi to beexiled from his clan.Yoshi fled Japan, ending up in New York City. Unwilling to leave his rival alive, Oroku Saki followed Yoshi there with a large force of Foot Ninja. There, Saki - taking the nameShredderafter his bladed wrist gauntlets - started an organized crime ring and set about hunting down Hamato Yoshi.
Who Is Splinter?
Forced to live in the sewers, Hamato Yoshi continued to practice the ninja arts in solitude. When a child on the street level accidentally dropped hisfour pet turtlesdown a grate, Yoshi took them in and raised them as pets to stave off loneliness.
This is the main point where the storylines diverge. In most versions of TMNT,Hamato Yoshi wasfound and killed by Shredder. His pet rat Splinter, whom he had kept since his time in Japan, was then exposed to the Mutagen alongside the turtles when it was dumped into the sewer, becoming humanoid. Splinter, having watched Yoshi practice martial arts, learned to copy the ninja’s movements and thustaught himself ninjutsu, passing the knowledge on to his adopted sons Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo.
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In other series, most notably the 1987 TV show,Hamato Yoshi and Splinter are one and the same. Yoshi’s exposure to the Mutagen caused him to take on rat-like features, and he carried on his feud with Shredder through the Turtles.
All Major Versions Of Splinter
Since there are several timelines with different stories, this handy chart breaks down Splinter’s story in every major TMNT comic, TV series, and movie.
Sewer rat.
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Next: What Happens In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin?
